Grilled Cucumber and Smoked-Trout Salad with Hazelnuts

Chef Paul Berglund grills and marinates cucumbers from his rooftop garden at Minneapolis’s The Bachelor Farmer. He adds smoked herring from Lake Superior, though the recipe is equally great with smoked trout.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the hazelnuts in a pie plate for 12 minutes, until the skins blister. Let cool, then transfer the nuts to a clean kitchen towel and rub together to remove the skins. Coarsely chop the nuts.

Preheat a grill pan. Toss the cucumbers with oil and season with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches, grill over high heat, turning once, until lightly charred, 3 minutes.

In a bowl, mash the garlic and anchovy to a paste using the back of a spoon. Add the vinegar, dill and sugar and whisk in the 2 tablespoons of oil. Season with salt and pepper, add the grilled cucumbers and let stand until cool. Add the trout, mesclun and hazelnuts, toss well and serve right away.